Marco Sturm still waiting to be cleared for contact

WILMINGTON — Marco Sturm is certainly itching to get back into games, but unlike the case of Marc Savard, it seems he’s not nearing a return to the lineup as quickly.

Sturm has yet to be cleared for contact as he recovers from a torn ACL and MCL, which he suffered during the playoffs against the Flyers. He admittedly had a setback that came as a result of his traveling with the team to Belfast and the Czech Republic to begin the season.

“Just all the traveling set me back for a few weeks here,” Sturm said Monday, “So I’m just trying to catch up.”

Sturm never actually had to stop working out while overseas, but he said that the flying, as well as all of the walking in Europe led to swelling in his knee.

“It’s tough to say [whether I regret going on the trip],” Sturm said. “I think it was good because it got me closer to the guys, but it was tough because everyone went, all the doctors went too, so they always wanted me around there. We kind of knew it, too. We were hoping to battle it through, but it didn’t work out that well.”

The 32-year-old free-agent-to-be said that he does not have any doctors appointments planned as he looks to get cleared for contact, but he’s welcomed the opportunity to get more practice time in this week with the team. After getting back on the ice following a recent encounter with the flu, Sturm sees the physical aspect as the next hill he must conquer.

“It’s more the battle now, but I’m still not doing it, so that’s why I still have to wait a little bit,” Sturm said. “But that’s my last step to go, is to battle and get more practices with the guys, too. ”

Sturm hasn’t set a timetable on his return, and is instead focused on stringing together a positive week that could hopefully lead to contact drills.